He was a populist hero and a corrupt demagogue, hailed as a champion of the poor and reviled as a dictator. Louisiana’s Huey Long built his remarkable career as Governor and U.S. Senator on a platform of social reform and justice, all the while employing graft and corruption to get what he wanted. Long’s spell...

He was a populist hero and a corrupt demagogue, hailed as a champion of the poor and reviled as a dictator. Louisiana’s Huey Long built his remarkable career as Governor and U.S. Senator on a platform of social reform and justice, all the while employing graft and corruption to get what he wanted. Long’s spellbinding personality and political machine might have taken him to the White House had he not been assassinated in 1935. This finely cra...He was a populist hero and a corrupt demagogue, hailed as a champion of the poor and reviled as a dictator. Louisiana’s Huey Long built his remarkable career as Governor and U.S. Senator on a platform of social reform and justice, all the while employing graft and corruption to get what he wanted. Long’s spellbinding personality and political machine might have taken him to the White House had he not been assassinated in 1935. This finely crafted film by Ken Burns reveals a complex and comprehensive portrait of the man and the era, his politics and the power he so obsessively sought. Extensive archival footage and recollections by Louisianans who knew Long are juxtaposed with candid contemporary interviews with historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.; the late journalist I.F. Stone; and the late author Robert Penn Warren, whose magnificent novel All the King’s Men was inspired by the rise and fall of Huey Long.
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Field of Study

Politics & Current Affairs

Content Type

Documentary

Contributor

Ken Burns, 1953-, David McCullough, 1933-

Author / Creator

Ken Burns, 1953-

Date Published / Released

2004

Publisher

Public Broadcasting Service

Series

Ken Burns's America

Speaker / Narrator

David McCullough, 1933-

Person Discussed

Huey Pierce Long, Jr., 1893-1935

Topic / Theme

Political corruption, Politicians, Socialism, American History, Depression & World War II (1929–1945), 20th Century in World History (1914--2000)